John Birdsall, left, and Perry Lucina, owner-partners of midcentury furniture store Lot 49, posed for a portrait at their store in Temescal Alley in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

John Birdsall, left, and Perry Lucina, owner-partners of midcentury...

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Alicia Goode, co-owner of Crimson Horticultural Rarities, stands for a portrait at her store in Temescal Alley in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

Photo: Stephen Lam, Special To The Chronicle

Alicia Goode, co-owner of Crimson Horticultural Rarities, stands...

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Bradley Roberts, co-owner of Temescal Alley Barber Shop, second from left, pulls a hair cape away from a customer after a haircut at the shop located in Temescal Alley in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, March 24, 2012.

True to its name - the Nahuatl language word for sweat house - Oakland's Temescal neighborhood couldn't be hotter. The latest wave at this well-trafficked intersection - historically home to Italians, then Ethiopians, Eritreans and Koreans - is bohemians, hipsters and young families who are drawn to the local shops and services.

Where a horse-drawn street car line once ran Victorian pleasure-seekers from Idora Park amusement/trolley park - with its wooden roller coaster, skating rink and opera house - north on Telegraph to UC Berkeley, their modern counterparts now flock for queue-worthy food at the East Bay's latest challenge to Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto.

Much like the long-buried and dammed original Temescal Creek, the neighborhood's reputation for revelry was never quite vanquished - bearing witness is the wildly popular Temescal Farmers' Market, a Sunday magnet planted near the site of the massive turn-of-the-century Lusk Cannery and the resurrected creek.

In the past six months, a miniature village within the onetime village, the former horse stables-turned-carriage houses in Temescal Alley off 49th Avenue, has taken off.

The place was bubbling with activity on a balmy, early spring Saturday afternoon, with new shop Oakland Dry Goods, purveying preserves and honey from the owner's nearby hives, and Mind's Eye Vintage, run by two veterans of the Down at Lulu's co-op, preparing to fling open their doors near the Dona Thomas and Pizzaiolo back patios. Under the curatorial eye of landlord Sarita Waite and her husband, UC Berkeley architecture Professor Raymond Lifchez, the vibe is part mini-utopian commune, part artists' open studios, with just a dash of dapper last-days-of-Prohibition Hooverville emanating from Temescal Alley Barber Shop.

"It's a real community here," says Leigh Okies of Crimson Horticultural Rarities, strolling by with jewelry designer Marisa Haskell. "People have studios in their stores." Her own rustic jewel box of a shop mixes sculptural succulents, terrariums and taxidermy with a Paxton Gate-like verve. Ordinary Joes and long-tressed rockers loiter outside the barber shop to take their turn in the chair, and Lot 49 owner Perry Lucina chats with passers-by while lounging outside his home design space.

"Everybody here is doing stuff - that's why I like it here," adds Haskell, wearing a tangle of her own long, tribal-tinged brass and deer-hide necklaces with mustard-colored workwear.

"It's a little like art school," Okies interjects. "You can get a crit any time."

No pressure, though: The beauty of this neighborhood is how organic and easygoing it feels - even when a production crew is pulling most of the furniture out of Lot 49 and attempting to film a Volkswagen commercial starring telegenic urbanites shopping Lucina's bite-size boutique, as they did recently.

Start at Temescal Alley - perhaps during the first Friday Art Hop, when bands perform - and wander down Telegraph to see what pop-ups (such as the skateboard store that temporarily filled the pink colonial Hooper's Chocolates) have materialized.

1 Esqueleto: Curious about the provenance of this pair of slivered raw diamond earrings, that sea urchin-inspired necklace or even that psychedelic cross-section of fossilized coral? Jewelry designer Lauren Wolf is usually right at hand in her white-walled, airy shop to give the rundown on her works, talk up her finds or fill in the background of that specific designer. Her gorgeous handcrafted pieces, which have compelled celebs and draw inspiration from the creatures of the sea, as well as desert sands, are well-represented here, along with covetable pieces by Rebecca Overmann, All For the Mountain, Satomi Kawakita, and Mociun. Changing displays of artwork add to the gallery-like ambience, as does the care that Wolf puts into her displays, which incorporate delicate vitrines, ceramics, intriguing slabs of semi-precious stone and a formidable ram's skull that would push all of Georgia O'Keeffe's buttons. 482-A 49th St., (212) 920-5666, www.shopesqueleto.com.

2 Lot 49: "My prices are not San Francisco prices," says chatty owner Perry Lucina of his collection of estate-sale, thrift and salvage treasures. "People ask, 'Why is it so cheap? Why is it so cheap?' " The answer? "I like to keep things fresh." A veteran of Temescal Alley of two years, Lucina opened the home and design space in the former architect's office space as a pop-up - and as a way to thin his personal collection of midcentury modern chairs - but he was persuaded to stay thanks to the welcome he has received from Oaklanders determined to shop locally. Some San Franciscans are even catching on, lured by the down-to-earth prices. Ogle the pristine '60s-era Googie-friendly lamps, "The Ice Storm"-style array of colored glassware and the handsome dark-wood mini-bar that could easily slip into Don Draper's bachelor pad. 470 49th St., (415) 328-4756, www.lot-49.com.

4 Temescal Alley Barber Shop: "I want my fade freshened up for Friday," declared one patron as he slid into his chair at this hip but not-too-cool-for-school throwback to classic barbershops. Old school? Sure, if that includes an intense dedication to the vanishing craft of barbering, polite and personable service, a ruggedly retro interior, biker mags and the kind of friendly, rangy conversation that happens when men find themselves thrown together in close quarters. A portion of the dedicated clientele has already followed co-owner Nick Vlahos from Al's in Alameda, so they're willing to jot their names on the chalkboard of this three-chair outfit and cool their jets in the alleyway - no problem - for the $22 haircuts, $30 warm straight razor shaves and $10 beard trims. Shots of Tequila or whiskey ease the wait. 470-B 49th St., (510) 761-5074; temescalalleybarbershop.tumblr.com.

5 Ali Golden: The sewing machine is front and center in Ali Golden's minuscule work space and showroom. After sewing bespoke pieces in Hayes Valley and selling at spots like Shotwell and Dish, the Oakland designer describes her Fall 2012 looks as her "first legitimate collection." Tailoring is key to her style; acolytes swear by her on-trend, eminently versatile chiffon maxi-dresses, kimono coats and cropped tops, but also look into her wonderfully drape-able wrap sweater. Golden says Temescal is right up her alley." It's just a great place. It can be isolating to work on and run this clothing line by yourself so it's so nice to be part of a community every day and bop around if you need inspiration or ideas." 470-E 49th St., (805) 340-7086; www.aligolden.com.

6 Marisa Haskell: Playing off native and Southwestern iconography and maintaining a minimalist edge, the Oakland jewelry designer transforms hammered brass chevrons and prongs, deer-hide fringe, faceted beads and Tibetan lapis into elegant, modern necklaces and wrapped bracelets. Her Laramie bolo and adjustable Oaxaca necklace take the beach-loving aesthetic that led Haskell to follow the waves to Mexico after her graduation from UC Berkeley, to another, luxurious level. Haskell describes her jewelry, which is sold locally at Erica Tanov stores, Reliquary and Metier as well as Saks Fifth Avenue and Free People, as lying "along the lines of modern bohemian crossed with a tougher rock 'n' roll" feel. 470-D 49th St., (510) 325-0019, www.marisahaskell.com.

Blink and you might miss these

These petite but sweet spots embody the hybridized agility of Temescal independents.

7 Coyote Counter Collective: Bringing a burning steam-punk "Mad Max" sensibility to the hood, this spot fuels its fire with recycled, rescued clothing and accessories. Select from a well-priced menu of custom reconstruction/deconstruction possibilities for that jacket or leather bag that you'd given up on and have the collective's sewing masters turn it into - fingers crossed - wearable art. 423 40th St., www.coyotecounter.com

8 Mosswood Mercantile: Every last weekend of the month, this precious pop-up in the storefront that ordinarily houses an art gallery unfurls some genuinely fantastic women's vintage shoes, clothing and accessories. Keep an eye peeled for Chanel sling-backs, neo-geo patterned '60s and '70s hostess frocks, French sunglasses, and belts with acres of funk to spare. Smokey's Tangle, 4709 Telegraph Ave., www.facebook.com/mosswoodmercantile.

9 1-2-3-4 Go! Records: This punk music store-that-could outgrew its digs across the street and has thrown down roots in a larger space. All the easier to flip through the vinyl, with its fervent emphasis on local garage rockers and neglected treasures, CDs, singles and zines. 423 40th St., Suite 5, (510) 985-0325; 1234gorecords.com.

10 Scream Sorbet: This sorbet spot continues to take its cues from the farmers' markets that gave it its start, basing its ever-changing flavors on local, seasonal fruits and veggies. Check the artwork as you lick at a scoop of lemon shiso or white guava. 5030 Telegraph Ave., (510) 394-5030; screamsorbet.com.

11 Aunt Mary's Cafe: The brunch mob can be daunting as they flock for the freshly made baked goods, but settle into a thrift-shop easy chair with a cuppa joe at the host's stand, and the wait speeds by in anticipation of major comfort-food fortification with a down-home and "spicy" Southern, Southwestern and Texas slant. Cajun-style pain perdue, winter red flannel hash with beet-horseradish gravy, or orange ricotta pancakes with ambrosia, anyone? 4307 Telegraph Ave., (510) 601-9227; www.auntmaryscafe.com.